How Bright the Light, When Next to Shadow
by Chyna Rose
Summary: A snapshot of a moment in the quietness of spring. Three old friends relax in the peace, and in the process reaquaint themselves with what it means to be human; to be normal.


How Bright the Light, When Next to Shadow

By Chyna Rose

_Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya, not me. This was not written for money, but because my muses left me no choice. And when the muses see fit to inspire me, who am I not to write. I am also not responsible for your thoughts during and after reading this story. If your mind takes you to an uncomfortable place, it is none of my business. That said I'd love to here what you think of this piece. Praise, complaints, and constructive criticism are all welcome. Flames will be promptly ignored._

Spring had come, just as it had the year before. The world was vibrant with color. There had been a point when he had thought that it would be winter forever.

The world was so much newer; brighter. Winter was really a colorless season. Even the most vibrant splash of red seemed dull and tired. White though escaped this unwritten law; sparkling in it stark and antiseptic smugness.

"It is no wonder that white is so often associated with purity."

This statement was rewarded with a resigned roll of the eyes. Hatori was used to Shigure spouting out random things that didn't make sense to normal people. Ayame, who was lounging with his head in Hatori's lap, just looked at Shigure questioningly.

"Purity is an exacting, and narrow thing. If there is even the slightest deviation or imperfection, then the entire purity of a thing is completely lost. There is no room for anything else. Just like white exists to the exclusion of all other colors" Shigure said in answer to Ayame's unvoiced question. He pulled a cigarette out of the pack Hatori had put on the deck and lit it.

"Is that a bad thing?" Ayame asked quietly. He grabbed the Hatori's cigarette and took a long drag of it; turning his head so that Hatori didn't get a face full of smoke when he exhaled.

It was one of those rare perfect days. Warm, with the coolness of the lingering winter balancing nicely with the heated promise of the coming summer. Lazy clouds floated in the sky. A light breeze played amongst the branches of trees and bushes, carrying with it the subtle scent of jasmine and wisteria blossoms. The normal sounds of the city were muted as the house sat in deliberate isolation from the road. It was... peaceful... and the three men found that they could relax; let down their guard a bit. Be the friends they were.

"Not really" Shigure answered, "At least not in and of itself. However, neither purity nor white can stand the existence of that which is not pure or white. Purity dictates that anything that isn't pure should be eradicated. It cannot stand the thought that there can be something that isn't pure, even thought the very concept of purity is defined by the absence of its opposite trait. White is a bit more passive; it strives to out shine the other colors by making them feel dull and faded in comparison. And this is despite the fact that white is the absence of color."

"The color white is actually the result of all the colors of the visible spectrum combining together and then bouncing off an object without any of the individual colors being absorbed" Hatori said in a bored tone. He took his cigarette back from Ayame without a second thought.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. So used to each other were they, that constant chatter wasn't needed. Shigure had reached out to idly play with Ayame's hair while Hatori lit a new cigarette and offered the first drag to Ayame. Ayame took it, and then handed the cigarette to Shigure, who then passed it to Hatori after he took his own drag.

"Nya! You can't catch me!"

"Why I oughta..."

The silence was shattered as Kyo and Momiji raced into view. Kyo was soaking wet and not happy about it. Momiji could hardly be called an innocent party as he had a water pistol clutched in his hand. As soon as he had the opportunity to, without risking capture, he pulled the trigger; hitting Kyo squarely in the mouth. As Kyo began sputtering out new threats to take out on 'stupid blonde rabbits with more toys than sense', Yuki could be heard laughing as he and Hatsuharu came into view. Yuki's mirth was short lived as Momiji (being an equal opportunity trouble maker) doused him with water. Kyo promptly stopped chasing Momiji to laugh at Yuki's predicament. It only took a few minutes before the whole thing devolved into a three-way fight for possession of the water pistol, Momiji laughing madly the entire time. And as Touru came out of the house with a tray of tea for every body, Shigure smiled.

"You know, white looks very dull in comparison."


End file.
